Horse Barn Ideas

Your barn needs to have a well-planned arrangement to make taking care of your horses easier and less time consuming. This four-wall structure will become your home base and inspire happy memories of times spent riding. From within its sturdy walls, you head out to horse shows and trail rides with friends. Taking the time to plan out the barn will get you to the best part of owning horses--riding--faster.

  1. Utilities

    • Locate your barn near access to utilities such as water and electricity. This will lessen the cost of connecting the barn to the utilities and ensure that you actually get them. These utilities allow you to feed your horses in the dark and not stumble over the bucket you left out that morning. Make sure you put a light or two in the aisle, in each horse's stall and in the feed area. Hook them to individual switches to enable you to save electricity. As you build your barn, consider automatic waterers. This costs more upfront, but saves you time on daily chores.

    Pastures

    • Place the entrances to the pastures near your barn.This makes turnout easier. Do not put the barn in the pasture; the horses may cause damage to the barn and it may also be difficult to bring the horses into the barn. If you are creating a small barn for just a horse or two, consider putting the entrance inside the horse stall. This makes turnout a breeze and allows you to let the horse come and go as he pleases.

    Doors

    • Doors are an essential part of the barn structure. Arrange them so that when you open them, you have enough room for you, the doors and the horse, without anyone getting injured. Placing the doors in logical locations helps you get the barn done quickly and get you riding faster. Both sliding and pull-out doors are good openings for your barn, although sliding doors take up less room.

    Indoor Arena

    • Most horse owners don't add an indoor arena because of space and cost issues. Indoor arenas allow you to ride even through the winter. You can build one during barn creation by putting it in the barn and building the stalls around it.

    Tack and Feed Room

    • Put a feed room and tack room in your barn for safety and a cleaner barn. Feed rooms block wandering horses from getting at the grain, which can give them colic. Tack rooms get tack out of the aisles and out of the way.